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Originally Posted by OP_Carl
Awwwwwww, don't be such a panty-waist. Just smear her face with dirt/grease, put her in some ratty old clothes, make her wear some Billy Bob teeth, and give her a squirt gun full of Windex. Nobody will even WANT to give her a second look! 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BrotherEastman
I think this is one time that your husband should take your feelings into consideration. 30 or 40 years ago you might of been unreasonable, but today I hardly think that she would be safe. Just my thoughts which aren't really worth a hill of beans. LOL!
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I see his point of view. He tends to agree with OP_Carl, and a few others--feeling that we can't live in fear just because there are bad people out there. And I don't believe in living fearfully either--but that doesn't mean I don't ever feel fearful! (Especially as a mother!)
We still have an obligation to be protective and wise, and not just give our kids
carte blanche to go do whatever they want, wherever they want, trusting God to do our job for us!
Quote:
Originally Posted by OP_Carl
I don't believe our times are any more dangerous than they were in the past, only more fearful
Conduct lectures and training on safety, by all means. Know your kids and what they are ready for by observing their level of maturity. I am blown away by the overwhelming number of people who choose to live with a fearful bunker mentality.
A spirit of fear is not a gift from God.
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I agree, but I also think we need to be wise and protect our children. Give them as much freedom as possible, and still keep them safe. To me, the distance involved, and the area involved tips the scale too far in the direction of danger.
I appreciate your comments, though. I do want to trust God to keep His hand on our family.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fiyahstarter
Now I'm thinking just the opposite... I DO live in the country and I can tell you many drunk drivers take to the "back roads" in order to avoid police and heavier traffic. I am a "walker" and I am very cautious walking on these back roads... Cars FLY by at high rates of speed. (Some drunks and some young kids behind the wheel... feeling their oats, I guess.) Over the years, many cars have swerved at me I've nearly been hit several times ... NO WAY I'd ever let my kids ride their bikes on THESE back roads.
However,
I always thought that if I lived "in town", where there were sidewalks and people everywhere... it might have been a different story.
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This is true! We had a young boy killed last year, single vehicle accident, I think he was 17. He was flying over the hills, and went off into a ravine, turned his car upside down. It happened about 3 a.m., he wasn't found till the next afternoon. Some people do take way too much advantage of the empty country roads.
LOL...the grass is always greener....
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Originally Posted by pelathais
The best we can do is teach them and pray for them. They will find trouble. I'm saddened by most of the responses here. If I lived out of town a bit like MissBrat I would have turned my kids loose even more....
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I try not to be too fearful of critters...and we have plenty of snakes, coyotes, spiders, raccoons, possums, etc. We do try to teach them safety rather than complete avoidance. They're pretty much allowed to wander our full 10 acres, plus another 20-25 acres of neighborhood. (Well, Jeffrey isn't allowed full run yet--but he's only 6)
I did let Hannah ride her bike to our little convenience store which is about 3/4 miles from the end of our road (a mile from the front door, approx.), BUT that was really pushing it, and I made her take the cell and call me when she arrived, and again when she left the store.
I'm trying not to be TOO protective, but still....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carpenter
People around here call me anal Bill only because I am so over the top when it comes to my daughter's safety....
You cannot trust kids to have foresight of what COULD happen until they are 27 and then not even. I am convinced some parents are morons.
I vote no. Dust off your bike and ride along with her.
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by TimRutledge
r u gonna ride your bike w/ your daughter to the stables??
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Jeff and I discussed it again, and the plan is: Drive her until it gets warm enough to ride, and then I will ride there with her, if she wants to do that. I'm also fine with dropping her off at the lesson, and letting her call me when she's ready to be picked up.
We have a neighbor who also has horses, and Hannah goes down there almost daily to feed the horses a carrot or two, and sometimes helps muck out stalls, etc. So she isn't stuck in the house--or even on our property.
I also noted OneAccord's post about injuries due to riding horses/being in the vicinity of horses--and I do understand that. However, we try not to limit our kids from sports, simply because they can be injured. In this case, Hannah has been focused on horses since she was a toddler--it never was just a phase, and she's wanted to be a veterinarian for about the same amount of time. She focuses on her science, and we try to relate her studies to how she could practically apply them to veterinary medicine. So in this case, the danger to her spirit by not allowing horsemanship and close proximity to other animals (great and small) would be greater than the risk of physical injury. (IMO)
Bottom line: THANKS to everyone who contributed. We read all your posts, and included you in the discussion!
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